Coconut Records

“Microphone”
from the album Davy
2009
iTunes

When actors decide to record music albums, they are met with indifference. Actor and actress albums are expected to be underachievers, seen as just another way to push a career forward and as something to do in between movies.

Last year produced two divergent works by actresses. Panned by critics, Scarlett Johansson’s Anywhere I Lay My Head, her reworking of Tom Waits’ songs, was an argument against artistic albums.

Then Zooey Deschanel, in films like “Almost Famous” and most recently “Yes Man,” released Volume One with M. Ward, which was praised by critics and was on many top 10 lists. She was seen as the exception to the rule, though it would be interesting if the album had received as much exposure had she not been an actress. M. Ward is now poised for mainstream success for the first time in his career.

Jason Schwartzman, performing under the guise of Coconut Records, should also be an exception to the rule.

Best known for acting stints in “Rushmore” and “Shopgirl,” Schwartzman was originally the drummer for pop punk band Phantom Planet, which he quickly points out in “Drummer,” saying “I was a drummer / In a band that you heard of.” He left after The Guest to pursue his acting career, which was taking off because of “Rushmore.”

Though his sophomore album doesn’t have anything as poppy as the song “Nighttiming” off of the album Nighttiming, it is an altogether more cohesive album, combining The Beatles’ aesthetic and sensibility with Phantom Planet’s sense of pop sprinkled with a dash of Elliott Smith. “Microphone,“ the lead single off of the album, is infectious with its eagerness to please and deliver a sing-along. “Any Fun,” another Beatles-inspired pop song, moves along with tinkering piano and a lilting bass line.

Schwartzman seems to be concerned with specificities, as there are clear pop songs and some more experimental tracks. Much like Nighttiming, there are musical vignettes interspersed throughout the album — chalk that up to him being an actor — but this time it accentuates the songs that surround them.

Thematically, the album deals with loneliness and isolation. A majority of the lyrics have to do with leaving or searching for a greater meaning in something (“Saint Jerome,” “Wandering Around”).

As “Drummer” suggests, Schwartzman may feel like he may have missed out by leaving the now on-hiatus Phantom Planet. Though this might make Davy a desolate experience, Schwartzman’s fine instrumentation ensures that nothing is overbearing.

Coconut Records walks a fine line between intimate bedroom-pop and audience-ready rock. Schwartzman doesn’t sacrifice anything for the album’s quirkiness. Though it might be an acquired taste, Coconut Records produces music that is unjustly overlooked. Don’t pass up what might be a rewarding experience, provided you are into the niche experience Schwartzman is so keen on providing.